Relay For Life back with two in-person events

One of the most annoying terms --- and there have been at least a dozen (“we’re all in this together,” Zoom meetings, Zoom anything, remote learning, flatten the curve, social distancing, keep 6 feet apart, etc.) that the pandemic has bequeathed us --- has been “in-person event.”
After all, before the pandemic, an event to which people were invited to attend tacitly implied that the event would be of “in-person” variety. That was a no-brainer.
Sure, there may have been some virtual meetings held due to long-distance considerations, but a road race meant actually going to the starting line, a fundraiser meant walking the distance, a marathon meant running 26.2 miles, a 5K meant running or walking 3.1 miles ---and the Relay For Life, a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, meant going to a local school or field for about 18 hours to walk the track in tandem with team members.
But that was before the world shut down in March of 2020. Last year was a very bittersweet year for the-then 22^nd annual Relay For Life of Greater Attleboro, as we had to pivot to a virtual event, except for one, much smaller “in-person” event In late August, thanks to our partnership with the Attleboro Arts Museum.
That “Luminaria on the Lawn” event was successful and gave us hope for a better 2021. Returning to a full-scale relay, which used to involve hundreds of volunteers and participants, seemed doubtful for our 23^rd year in 2021, but the good news is that we’ve been able to plan two smaller “in-person” events --- otherwise known as real events. They will be held later this month, on June 19 and June 26, both on Saturday evenings. The details follow in this story.

This story that I wrote was published June 1 in The Sun Chronicle of Attleboro, MA. (Story link: https://www.thesunchronicle.com/communities/greater-attleboro-relay-for-life-plans-two-june-events/article_53c6f552-3bba-5ab0-b366-79c0ae049f9e.html

After being limited to a virtual event in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Relay For Life of Greater Attleboro plans to return outdoors for its 23^rd year by holding a pair of smaller in-person events in June to raise money for the American Cancer Society.
Although the events will replace the traditional large-scale relay, which normally attracts hundreds of volunteers and participants, they will be vital to not only raising money for one of the non-profits severely affected by COVID-19’s lockdowns last year, but also to alerting people about the importance of getting screened for various cancers --- procedures that were often ignored last year as the pandemic raged.
The two events will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, June 19 at Norton High School and from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, June 26 at Attleboro’s Balfour Riverwalk Park.
Both events will feature activities associated with a typical, pre-COVID-19 relay. They were planned with the latest American Cancer Society (ACS) guidelines for in-person events, and before Gov. Charlie Baker announced plans to drop most COVID-19 protocols in late May.
The timing of the lifting of those Massachusetts protocols, along with the ACS restrictions that remain in place for in-person events, prevented a return to a normal relay, which was last held in 2019.
Those ACS rules also mean that COVID-19 protocols, including mandatory mask-wearing by participants, out of deference to the cancer survivors who will be in attendance, will be in effect at both events despite the lifting of the outdoor mask mandate by Baker.
The events will nonetheless provide a big boost to the local efforts to raise money and awareness about cancer prevention after last year’s virtual event limited local donations to $60,000 after the 2019 event had taken in more than $150,000. Event details follow:
Norton High School, June 19
This event will feature a drive-thru Relay For Life along with the chance to walk the track to view the luminaria, which are lit in honor of cancer survivors and in memory of cancer victims.
The schedule calls for a survivor-only experience from 6 to 6:30 p.m. that will include a complimentary boxed dinner for survivors, made possible with the assistance of volunteers from Waters Church in North Attleboro in partnership with Chick-Fil-A.
At 6:30 p.m., the relay will be opened to everyone. People may stop at stations, including one to bid on raffles, with all proceeds going to the cancer society. Participants also may join in the traditional luminaria-lighting ceremony, which will take place at about 8:30 p.m. In addition, popular Attleboro area disc jockey Nate Adams will play music.
“I'm so excited that (the) relay is returning to Norton High School this year,” relay committee Chairwoman Barbara Benoit said. “Although relay will look a little different, we will still be celebrating our survivors and honoring those we have lost to cancer.
“It’s going to be a fun event, with a DJ, survivor tent, raffles and much more. We will also have luminaria lining the high school track and will be lighting them at dark,” she said.
Balfour Riverwalk Park, June 26
Planned for Balfour Riverwalk Park in downtown Attleboro, the “Slam Cancer” evening will celebrate the poetry-essay writing event that the relay held in April in partnership with the Attleboro Public Library.
People who wrote poems or essays on the topic of “Slam Cancer: How I’ve been touched by the disease” will be invited to read their original works. Luminaria also will be lit, and Adams again will play music.
The “Slam Cancer” celebration will be the first in-person event held by the library since last fall's Big Read activity in the same park. The library has been mostly closed to the public since then due to the pandemic and a renovation project.
“The library is excited to co-host ‘Slam Cancer’, the first in-person event we've held in a while,” Library Director Amy Rhilinger said. “We've received a number of submissions that capture the varied experiences and emotions that come from having cancer in your life.
“Gathering outdoors, following COVID guidelines, will allow those touched by these stories to come together, receiving and offering support to one another, something we all need after a long year of being apart,” she said.
The Greater Attleboro relay draws participants from most area communities, including Attleboro, North Attleboro, Mansfield, Norton, Plainville and Rehoboth. To register for the event as a participant, team captain, volunteer, or to donate to the Relay For Life of Greater Attleboro, go to www.relayforlife.org/greaterattleboroma
The event, which began in 1999 at North Attleboro High School, was held there until moving to Norton High School in 2018.
Larry Kessler can be reached at larrythek65@gmail.com.